So David did not take the ark home into the city of David: Most modern versions take the common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of this verse as a logical connector and render it So as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. New American Bible is similar with “Therefore.” However, American Bible uses the contrastive connector “But,” presumably because what David did was contrary to what might be expected. For the city of David, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.5. Some common language translations use the better-known name “Jerusalem” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). In any case, a literal translation will probably be inappropriate in some languages, since it would be more logical to say “his own city” in this context. Several French translations have simply “his place” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

But took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite: David took a detour on his way to Jerusalem and left the Covenant Box at another place so that he would not have to be the caretaker of this important symbol of God’s presence. Other possible translations for took it aside are “he had it deposited” (Bible en français courant) and “he rerouted it” (God’s Word). Some may even say “he changed his mind and sent it.”

David left the Covenant Box in the care of Obed-edom. Translators may wish to make it clear that he was a man (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). He may be the Obed Edom who was a Levite musician and Temple guard (see 1 Chr 15.18; 26.4-5). However, the phrase the Gittite may indicate that Obed Edom was “a native of the city of Gath” (Good News Translation; similarly Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur), which was a Philistine city. Nothing in the parallel account in 2 Sam 6 indicates that Obed-edom was a Levite. He was probably a Philistine. In view of what had happened, it seems logical that the Israelites would have been afraid to have the Covenant Box left in their homes. Some commentators have speculated that Obed-edom may have been persuaded to join the Israelite cause when David was staying in Gath (1 Sam 27–30; see also 2 Sam 15.18-22; 18.2). Others suggest that he may have been a Levite who had lived in Gath, or that he was from the Levitical city of Gath-rimmon (see Josh 19.45; 21.24) or from Gittiam (see 2 Sam 4.3), and thus he was not a Philistine. In view of this uncertainty, there should be nothing in the translation about this man being a Philistine. However, this possibility could be mentioned in a footnote. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, for example, says in a footnote that Gath was one of the five most important cities of the Philistines. Since it is not likely, according to the theological perspective of the author of 1 Chronicles, that David would have entrusted the Covenant Box to a non-Levite, it seems that the author has reworked the genealogies in order to portray Obed-edom as a Levite rather than as a Philistine.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .